WS Chronicle

By Dr. James B. Ewers Jr.

I have always thought of the Democratic Party as being the party of the people. It is my thinking that this perception is shared by many Americans.

My party of choice is the Democratic Party. I am a registered Democrat and I do not shy away from being a member.

As the last presidential election was forming, the Democrats were galvanizing their political machine. It was pretty much all hands-on deck. We the people wanted a change in the White House because the leadership in it was ruining the country. The direction of the nation was off track and the world was watching.

So, in one of the greatest presidential election turnouts in our history, we elected a new leader.

Joe Biden became President of the United States of America.

Since his inauguration in January, President Biden has encountered potholes and pitfalls in his efforts to build back America. By any political measuring stick and poll, our country was on a deep dive to nowhere. We could not find any lifelines.

Our president has tackled multiple issues since being in office. High atop the list are immigration, Afghanistan, the pandemic and the vaccine. Each of these has a built-in set of problems. There are no easy solutions.

Some of them like immigration and the pandemic were inherited from the previous administration, yet that cannot be used as an excuse. We elected him to be president and Kamala Harris to be vice president, so inherited problems come with the territory.

Prior to assuming the presidency, we knew that Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans would present a roadblock. Now at this point, in my opinion, they have become a dead-end street. Trying to reach common ground with them appears to be futile and full of frustration. What is happening with the Republican Party is of no surprise to me.

Here is the surprise that is now fast becoming a roadblock.

The Democratic Party has now, in my opinion, become a roadblock to the president’s agenda. There are major differences within the Democratic Party. Progressive Democrats have a significant role within the Democratic Party.

According to Wikipedia, the Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) is a progressive political organization and grassroots political action committee operating inside and outside the Democratic Party. It was formed in 2004.

Reports say the Congressional Progressive Caucus has 95 U.S. House of Representatives and 1 U.S. Senator.

For example, Representatives Cori Bush (GA) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY) are members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. They and other Progressives want the Senate to vote on the 3.5 trillion-dollar bill.

Democratic Senators Joe Manchin (WVA) and Kyrsten Sinema (AZ) have said they will not vote on it. Senator Manchin has urged his fellow Democrats to pause on the 3.5 trillion-dollar budget resolution. All of this, according to reports, has made the Democrats look disjointed in the eyes of the public.

Democrats in the House and the Senate must get their act together.

While the squabbling goes on, the American people continue to suffer. It goes without saying that America needs a stimulus package. What goes in the package and the cost of it remain the questions at the inquiry desk. These are compelling questions and are causing rancor within Democratic circles.

Should roads and bridges have significant allocations? Should social programs be a part of the package? At some point, these questions will need answers.

Democrats in Washington say they are for the American people. Well, if you are for us, do something!

Think about the people’s needs, not your personal needs. The country is seeking relief and leadership. Now is not the time to sit back and pontificate.

Do not stall and filibuster. Pass a bill that will strengthen our country.

This is not just your country. It is our country too.

James B. Ewers Jr., Ed.D., is a former tennis champion at Atkins High School in Winston-Salem and played college tennis at Johnson C. Smith University, where he was all-conference for four years. He is a retired college administrator. He can be reached at overtimefergie.2020@yahoo.com.